Editor:
My heart goes out to all the animals and residents of Jasper who have been affected by the recent massive wildfires that swept through the park. Jasper holds a special place in my heart as I worked for many summers at the Jasper Park Lodge and fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the town.
This fire is one of mounting examples of the dire consequences of climate change. Climate change is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the release of methane gases, mining, industry, car exhausts, clearing of forests which release greenhouse gases including CO2 into the atmosphere. These gases are at their highest level in two million years and continue to rise. The resulting increasing temperatures cause extreme drought, severe floods, catastrophic storms, retreating glaciers, rising sea levels, melting of the polar ice caps, and extreme wildfires to name a few.
Climate change is a global issue, not just a local one. We can’t just throw money at the problem and hope it will go away. It is a reality and will only get worse unless we take action.
What can each of us do in Canmore? We can drive less, take public or human-powered transit, consume less meat, recycle, reuse, use fewer paper products – one Swedish cloth can replace hundreds of paper towels – plant trees in your yard since trees absorb CO2 and release oxygen, reduce your energy use, use cold water to wash your clothes, vote for political leaders who prioritize climate action.
It was interesting watching Premier Danielle Smith on the news crying over the Jasper destruction, yet her policies are the very thing contributing to climate disasters. Her push to promote fossil fuel usage and mining rather than adopting cleaner and renewable sources of energy is a disgrace.
Climate action is an investment but climate inaction will cost us more in the long run. It has and will have an impact on our health, housing, safety and work.
As Barack Obama once said, “We are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and the last generation to do something about it.”
Let’s all do our part to prevent climate disasters in our backyard and across the planet. The animals and future generations will thank us.
Jane Spentzos,
Canmore
